It first aired 15 years ago – so why is the West Wing still relevant and inspiring today?
Do you ever get the feeling the world is falling apart? It was a bad summer for world peace. Nations crumbling from Great Britain to Iraq. The West helpless in the face of terror and cyber-chaos. But if it ever gets you down, there’s an easy escape: dust off your West Wing box set. Enter an alternative universe where the world is run by liberal genii overflowing with social conscience and witty banter.
Fifteen years old today, West Wing was created as a dream, a Democrat’s ideal alternative to the government of George W. Bush. The camera work looks jaded, the colours are faded, but in many ways it remains as relevant as ever. There have been better TV shows since then. The Wire was grittier and had more depth. Breaking Bad was darker and more creative, Mad Men was more beautiful. But The West Wing still holds a special place in my heart. It can still lift me when I’m feeling glum, and transport me to a world where people are noble and honest and true. Where politics is the good fight and liberalism is the creed of heroes. It is a paean to friendship and loyalty.
I’m not the only one still holding a candle for President Bartlet and friends. After its last broadcast, The West Wing entered televisual elysium. It lives on and on. There are well-maintained Twitter feeds dedicated to keeping most of the major characters alive. I know hard-bitten politicos who still exchange West Wing quotes and fantasise about becoming the Josh and Toby of British politics.
"The West Wing is where politics is the good fight and liberalism is the creed of heroes. It is a paean to friendship and loyalty"
West Wing is cheesy, but it’s also very, very good. Aaron Sorkin wrote the show at the height of his eloquence. Jed Bartlet (Martin Sheen) is immense, a president for the ages. Toby Ziegler’s (Richard Schiff) existential angst still pains me today. Alison Janney’s charismatic CJ Cregg grows into a powerful female lead. I can still spend hours debating the best moments. My favourite is at the end of the final episode of Season Two: Mark Knopfler’s scratchy Stratocaster plays the opening chords of Brothers in Arms. The rain slashes down in pathetic fallacy. Jed Bartlet, the president who lied about his multiple sclerosis, strides to meet the press and face up to his mistake. His staff, his friends, walk behind him, expecting him to announce the end of his political career. He surprises them all.
It’s enough to make a Brit long for the brutal cynicism of Malcolm Tucker and The Thick of It. And yet … and yet. I tried rewatching those scenes while writing this article. Sure enough, I was close to tears, just as I was when I first watched them eight years ago. We need Malcolm Tucker to remind us of the harsh realities of power and politics. But we also need Jed Bartlet, to remind us to look up at the stars every once in a while.
West Wing isn’t real, it’s not even realistic. But it’s a vision of what politics is supposed to be, far removed from what we see before us today. I don’t envy contemporary politicians. Deference is dead. The papers criticise them, the television cameras expose them and they are ridiculed incessantly on social media. They obsess over crafting an image and a narrative, but they are fighting a losing battle. David Cameron goes surfing, Ed Miliband eats a bacon sandwich, Nick Clegg gets up in the morning: their every move is mocked. That’s why the only successful political leader in this country is Boris, the master of wit and self-deprecation who beats us at our own game. Boris is the logical conclusion of our contemporary attitude to politics. Treat politicians like clowns and it is the clown politician who triumphs.
Everyone should watch The Thick of It, to remind us that politics is a mug’s game. But we should also never forget The West Wing. It reminds us that politicians can be good people who change lives. It holds up a utopian mirror to our tawdry reality and exhorts us to aim high. Because however silly it often seems, politics matters. Look at Iraq or Syria. That is what happens when politics fails. In the words of Toby Ziegler, West Wing reminds us that “government should be a place where people come together and no one gets left behind. An instrument of good.”
Text by Josh Glancy
Josh Glancy is a features writer at The Sunday Times.
